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Riley Story Arc
The Riley Story Arc takes place during Riley Malsworth’s and Brynia Malsworth’s early life, detailing their origins and how they came to be. Below is a synopsis. Part I Early life Riley and Brynia were born into a poor family in Arcana City on the gas giant moon Farandia. Because of this, neither of them knew their real parents as society in Arcana had no nuclear families. Everything was communal. From an early age, the two of them both attended the Arcana School of Sorcery in order to learn more about magic. As a result, they became friendly rivals, competing for the best grades. Brynia’s disappearance Eventually, Riley became the second best student in the class with Brynia right in front of her. Brynia, who was recognized as a child prodigy for her exceptional abilities, had mysteriously vanished shortly after. The school's chairmen claimed that Brynia was given a personal mission to see the Toad Queen and that she would be gone for a long time, but Riley was never told ahead of time. None of Riley’s teachers were willing to talk about Brynia’s disappearance. Seeking to discover her sister’s fate, she delved into the school’s libraries, spending entire nights looking for information. Her search eventually took her to the classified information, forbidden knowledge kept hidden for generations. It was there that she found that Brynia was taken to an entity known as the Toad Queen to be used as a sacrifice. Years before, other children that have been visiting the Toad Queen have never come back. Expedition Knowing that talking to the other students or to the teachers about the new information would mean her being banished from the village, Riley had to go in secret. Having no other options, Riley created three puppets to accompany her while she traveled the jungle on her own. She had to go on foot since there were no automobiles in Farandia, and thus, she used her puppets to carry survival gear, food and an assortment of other goods. The Toad Queen After three days in the wilderness, Riley finally discovered the Toad Queen, the self-proclaimed goddess of earth. The Toad Queen, while initially a small, talking creature was actually the figurehead of a much larger, plant-animal-like organism that had swallowed Brynia, storing her away inside a cyst until the end of the year which will allow the Toad Queen to ensure a plentiful harvest for the wizards back in Arcana. Brynia was a sacrifice to ensure that Arcana City could continue as a civilization. Riley pleaded and bargained with the Toad Queen’s figurehead begging to have Brynia released and even allow herself to switch places, but was turned down. Finally, the two agreed that Riley would be allowed to speak with her sister one last time to say a goodbye. Reluctantly yet willingly, Riley allowed herself to be swallowed by the Toad Queen, but unfortunately, the girl was double-crossed. The Toad Queen refused to let her back out because the girl knew too much from reading the school’s forbidden library. Trapped inside the Toad Queen's innards with Brynia, Riley was willing to accept her fate, but her sister was not. After an argument, the two finally agreed to devise an escape plan. Riley used her animation spell on Brynia to give her a boost of strength, thus breaking out of the cyst. Brynia used her own powers to help her sister escape as well, and then used her Gaze of Agony to turn the creature’s equivalent to a heart to stone. With the heart having ceased to function, the Toad Queen was dead. After escaping from the bowels of the creature, Brynia, who was on the verge of starvation (she had not eaten anything since being swallowed), wanted payback, so she cooked and devoured the remains of the Toad Queen's figurehead. Riley, who had lost her appetite from being surrounded by the creature’s innards for hours, chose not to have any. Banishment Though the path was fairly straightforward, Riley and Brynia came home to find that Arcana City’s yearly harvest was unsuccessful, and that the city was in danger of famine. Because the Toad Queen was dead, not only was there a food shortage, but the entirety of Farandia’s ecosystem was on the verge of collapse. Riley and Brynia were blamed, and both were banished from the city to live high in the mountains where food was even more scarce. After several days, both Riley and Brynia begun to succumb to the mountains’ harsh environment. Tired, cold and hungry, neither of them were able to think straight, and they got into a petty argument which ended in the both of them parting ways, never to see each other again for a very long time. Part II A new home Riley was later discovered by an old, travelling woman who was on a wilderness hike. The old woman reveals that she is a travelling nomadic Kawan priestess who has been going from planet to planet in an attempt to understand the harmony between spirit and earth. The old woman spoke of another world, Albacin III, where the people have contact with the land of spirits (her interpretation of the regular interactions between the Avatar Theocracy and the humans). She asked if Riley would like to join her to which she eagerly agrees wanting to leave Farandia behind to never return. She is escorted to a small settlement which had a wormhole, but first they stopped by a motel where Riley got cleaned up and prepared a proper meal. Finally, the two of them traveled to Albacin III and settled into the suburbs of Vanda. To reintegrate her into the new society, the priestess sent her to Drosmer High School Fitting in Riley had difficulty fitting in since the subject material was entirely different. Rather than specializing in anything particular, the high school was more about general topics. Because she had little experience in other school subjects, she struggled academically especially with math and science. Considered odd in appearance (the inhabitants of Vanda had more access to genetic engineering which eliminated so-called imperfections), Riley was verbally bullied by other girls, soon stooping deep into a depression. New friends Soon enough, Riley encountered Savien Wesiford and Galvon Raminti who both wished to make her come out of her shell and get to know her. Eventually, Riley begun revealing to them her own past and her desire to reunite with Brynia to which they both tried to help her out. The story merges with the Savien Story Arc. Fate After the Hundred Moon Clan Arc, Riley joined the restoration effort of Farandia colony eventually becoming prime minister of Farandia. She overhauled the rules to help the colony prosper under her leadership. Her sister Brynia became a psychologist. Category:Story arcs